


stay

by longflight42



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longflight42/pseuds/longflight42
Summary: “Stay with me for a while then, just so I can make sure you’re actually eating and sleeping.” Jongin said it as more of a statement than a question.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Lee Taemin
Comments: 14
Kudos: 60





	stay

**Author's Note:**

> just a short taekai fic! hope you enjoy!
> 
> the song taemin dances to is Down by Marian Hill!  
> link!

Taemin was an experienced dancer, that much was obvious. He’d won multiple awards and was well-esteemed in the industry - at the company younger artists would come up to him  _ daily  _ and tell him they were the reason they wanted to dance (of course, Taemin was honoured by this, but he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed any time anyone told him). With every comeback, he tried new things and pushed himself further. It was tough, of course, but he loved it.

  
  


This new dance, however, was really testing both Taemin’s body and mentality.

  
  


To celebrate the first MAMA Awards since the Covid-19 outbreak, and the first group SHINee comeback since Countless, Taemin was doing a special ballet number to open the show. He’d always wanted to properly dip into ballet, and what better way to try it out than on a stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, not to mention the thousands watching from around the world?

  
  


Most of his schedule was taken up by extra dance practise and lessons, and on top of that Taemin was staying late in the SM practise rooms, perfecting his moves until the sun rose.

  
  


He was eating out with Jongin, ranting about how his shoulders ached and his back hurt and his eyes-

  
  


“Taeminnie, you aren’t taking care of yourself.” Jongin interrupted his rant, picking another roll of sushi onto his plate.

  
  


“I am! I’m just, coming down with something, that’s all.”

  
  


Jongin stared at him. “You’ve just started intensive ballet training on top of your normal training, and you’re still attending vocal practise, right?” Taemin nodded from across the table, sipping from his drink. “You’re gonna hurt yourself if you don’t pace yourself, or if you don’t have anyone looking after you.”

  
  


“I’ll be fine! I can look after myself, I can set alarms and shit.” The hustle and bustle of the Japanese restaurant continued as the pair munched on their food.

  
  


“And you’re doing a great job of that already, aren’t you?” Jongin eyed the dark circles under Taemin’s eyes with worry. “When do you finish ballet training?”

  
  


“In three weeks, then it’s two weeks of general prep, then award season starts.” Taemin said it as if he’d been repeating it in his head like a mantra.

  
  


“Stay with me for a while then, just so I can make sure you’re actually eating and sleeping.” Jongin said it as more of a statement than a question.

  
  


“Don’t be stupid, I’ll be fine! I don’t want to be a bother.” Taemin shook his hands in protest.

  
  


“You’re never a bother, this is for my peace of mind!” Jongin giggled. “When you hurt, I hurt, so I want to make you’re ok.”

  
  


Taemin blushed at this, or was it a nearby grill?

  
  


“Fine.” He replied, “But only if I can sleep on that big sofa of yours.”

  
  


“Deal.” Jongin blushed, mentally cleaning his apartment. 

  
  


…

  
  


Having Taemin stay with him really made Jongin realise how much of a hard worker he was.

  
  


Jongin’s schedules finished quite early, allowing him to get a full night’s sleep most nights, something he couldn’t afford very often. This meant that he had to trust Taemin to remember the passcode to his apartment and get home safely.

  
  


In the first week, Jongin was half awake when he heard Taemin enter, the echoes of his shoes bouncing off of the walls. Each time he’d had  _ just  _ enough energy to check the time - Taemin never arrived before 3 in the morning. 

  
  


One morning, Jongin woke up too early for a Saturday to make breakfast before Taemin went for his morning vocal lessons.

  
  


He was dropping blueberries into the mix when Taemin shuffled into the kitchen in large pale blue pajamas, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand.

  
  


“Morning, Jonginnie.” he said, voice rough and hair all messed up. Jongin felt his heart swoop, how could someone look  _ so adorable _ this early in the day? “What are you making?”

  
  


“Blueberry pancakes, just trying something new.” Jongin stirred the batter as he spoke. Taemin stepped into the light, and Jongin stopped in his tracks, dropping the spoon into the bowl.

  
  


“Holy shit, are you ok?” He rushed over to Taemin, who was sporting a busted lip, red and enlarged and puffy. “When did this happen, are you hurt?” He held Taemin with one hand by the neck, scanning his face with worry for any cuts or bruises.

  
  


“I fell funny in a doorway yesterday, cut it open. They said it’d be ok after a while, so long as I ice it every now and then, it’s just a bit tender right now.” Taemin completely forgot about his damaged lower lip, bringing a hand up to touch it but quickly moving it away when he realised that that wasn’t the greatest idea.

  
  


“I  _ told  _ you to be careful! You’re doing too much training!” Jongin furrowed his eyebrows.

  
  


“I did this falling over, not dancing!” Taemin pouted. “Stop worrying about me.”

  
  


“It’s hard not to sometimes.” Jongin muttered to himself, pouring the batter into the pan. “Just… tell me if you get hurt. I’m here to look after you.”

  
  


“I don’t need you nannying me.” Taemin whined, but he smiled. He took over and flipped the pancake in the pan whilst Jongin got to work on the next one, wordlessly on the same wavelength.

  
  


“Just… come to me if you’re hurt or anything, wake me up.” 

  
  


Taemin giggled. “My saviour, Jonginnie. Of course I will.

  
  


…

  
  


Jongin was on his phone when he heard his front door click, signalling Taemin was home. It was a Sunday, so Taemin only had a few meetings in the morning, then he was home early.

  
  


Jongin turned to the door to see Taemin leaning against it, his face covered by a black mask and a large teddy bear hoodie (Jongin’s). “Hi.” He smiled at Jongin, before limping over to the kitchen. Wait, limping?

  
  


“Taeminnie!” Jongin shot up, following him, “Why are you limping? I thought you weren’t dancing today?”

  
  


Taemin sat down by the large dining table, stretching out his legs. “Meeting ended early, so I went to a studio. Twisted my ankle doing a leap wrong.”

  
  


Jongin grabbed ice from his freezer, rushing over to put it on Taemin’s ankle. He knew he’d only get so far lecturing Taemin about being careful, so he started: “How far are you with the routine? Is it that the hardest bit, that leap?”

  
  


Taemin frowned. “It’s all hard. When my instructor showed me the full routine, it looked  _ impossible.  _ I’ve got some parts down, but there’s all these leaps and flips and turns, it’s too much. I’ve got to keep practising.”

  
  


“Come on, you’re Lee Taemin.” Jongin smirked, wrapping the ice from where he was knelt on the floor. “If anyone can nail an impossible choreo, it’s you.”

  
  


Taemin blushed. “I still have a few weeks, I got this.”

  
  


Jongin looked up, smiling. He wrapped a towel around Taemin’s ankle.“Yeah, you do. Will I get to see it before the rest of the world? Best friend privileges?”

  
  


“It’s nowhere near finished, but yeah, sure. For now, let’s watch a film.” Taemin went to stand up, but wobbled and winced in pain as he put weight on his left leg.

  
  


Jongin stood up and held Taemin by the waist, supporting him. “Do you need me to carry you around?” Jongin giggled, but when Taemin didn’t respond, he sighed. “Really?”

  
  


“Just for today, I’ll be fine by tomorrow morning!” Taemin pouted, knowing Jongin’s weaknesses.

  
  


“Fine.” Jongin huffed before swiftly lifting Taemin off his feet, carrying him bridal-style to the sofa, before dropping him down on the pillows. It was less than 10 steps, Taemin easily could have done it, but neither of them thought about that.

  
  


Taemin lay his legs out on the abnormally large sofa, propping himself up against Jongin’s side, who had his own legs on the table. “What movie should we watch, Nini?”

  
  


“Whatever you want, Taeminnie.” Jongin smiled fondly as he handed the remote over.

  
  


…

  
  


Jongin and Taemin headed to work together the morning Taemin planned on showing him the routine so far, and he was nervous beyond his wits. Scared he’d do a move wrong or fall over, which he did all the time practising, but this time there was  _ Jongin  _ in there with him.

  
  


They grabbed drinks from the café downstairs before heading off to a large practise room, taking off their large padded coats upon entry. 

  
  


“I wanna ask your help for some of the ballet parts, do you wanna stretch out?” Taemin walked over to the mac in the studio to set up the music.

  
  


“Sure.” Jongin took to the floor to stretch properly, looking in the mirror.

  
  


Taemin stretched himself before motioning for Jongin to sit on the chair by the wall. “Sit down, I’ll show you what I’ve got so far.”

  
  


Taemin pressed play on his music, then walked to the centre of the room, in position to begin his dance. Jongin sat down in his seat, ready for the performance.

  
  


The music started, and piano notes flowed from the speakers. Jongin watched with curiosity as Taemin moved gracefully. He did moves Jongin had never seen him do before, turns and spins and jumps that matched the gentleness of the music. Jongin saw his insecurities though, as he saw Taemin do a large run up, but then stop last minute, transitioning gracefully into the next move.

  
  


Then, the music changed abruptly, and it was like a switch was flipped. His body popped intricately to the beat, moving his arms sharply and with passion. HIs charisma shined as he moved intricately, as if he was being controlled. In the mirror, Jongin could see Taemin’s facial expressions, powerful and chilling. Then, as soon as it was over, he slowed down again, reverting back to ballet. He moved beautifully, but with hesitation, scared of pushing himself on the hard jumps. Jongin didn’t blame him though, it looked  _ hard. _ He could only see the hesitations or minor slip-ups because of the countless hours he’d spent practising ballet himself.

  
  


Taemin finished the rest of the dance with skill and style, freezing in place for a few seconds, before relaxing his whole body, breaking character.

  
  


He turned to Jongin with a wide smile. “So, how was it? I missed a few jumps because, well. I’m not very good at them yet, and I haven’t got a mat in case I fall, like I do most times.” He giggled, moving back over to the Mac.

  
  


“It was,  _ really good,  _ Taeminnie.” Taemin gave him a look, as if he didn’t believe him. “ _ Seriously.  _ I can see the bits you struggled with, but that’s because you’ve never done anything like it before. The rest though...was just amazing.”

  
  


“That’s why I’m asking for your help, with all the hard ballet parts.” Taemin brought his phone over to Jongin. “My teacher sent me videos of the moves for reference, you think you can do them?”

  
  


He rested his elbow on Jongin’s shoulder, still tired from his intensive dance. He put the phone between them, opening the folder on his phone.

  
  


Jongin watched the videos intently. He looked back up to Taemin, “I think I can? If not, I can monitor you.”

  
  


Taemin smiled, his cheeks pushing up. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  
  


…

  
  


Taemin was in his last week of solo ballet training before the rest of MAMA preparations, and his teacher must be horrible, as Jongin heard him coming home later and later, getting a few hours of sleep, then heading straight back to the company.

  
  


One night that week, he was up late in his kitchen. He’d woken up early for some unknown reason, and decided to just go with it. Taemin was nowhere to be found, so Jongin stayed awake on the sofa where he was meant to be, awaiting his arrival. His eyes became dreary as he squinted to the wall clock through his thick glasses, and he felt himself fading, before the familiar sound of the lock of his door rang through his apartment. He shot up (the best he could with his low energy levels) and went to his door. “Taeminnie?”

  
  


From the shadows came Taemin, wrapped up to his nose to protect himself from the winter cold. He froze in his tracks. “Jongin, what are you doing up?”

  
  


Jongin spoke as Taemin went to the kitchen, chucking his bag on the table. “I just woke up early. Or… late, depending on how you look at it.”

  
  


He walked up to Taemin, when Taemin took down his hood, revealing a bruising cut under his eye. “Shit Taem, what happened?” He rushed over to a kitchen cupboard, pulling out his first aid kit. 

  
  


“I fell weird doing a jump, you know the one where I do the splits in the air?” Taemin spoke quietly as Jongin rushed him to sit on his kitchen counter whilst he looked through the bag. “It was getting late anyway, so my instructor let me go home early.”

  
  


Jongin shakes his head disapprovingly. “God, Taemin, I wish you knew when to stop sometimes.” he mutters whilst he dabs away at some of the blood, but deep down he knows he can’t blame him because they’re exactly the same, and the roles have been reversed more times than he’d like to admit. 

  
  


To Jongin’s horror, Taemin starts  _ crying  _ in response. Jongin drops the tissue in shock.

  
  


“Woah, woah, don’t cry, baby. Come on, you know what I mean.” 

  
  


He wraps Taemin up in a hug, who weakly brings his arms up to Jongin’s back.

  
  


“It’s not you,” Taemin sniffles, “I’m just tired.”

  
  


“It’s ok.” Jongin reassured, his chin tucked over Taemin’s shoulder. “End of year promotions are hard, and you’re going above and beyond with this performance. And you’re doing an  _ amazing  _ job of it.” His heart ached as Taemin tucked himself further into Jongin’s embrace, their chests touching.

  
  


Jongin moved back to hold Taemin’s face, wiping away his tears with his thumbs. “When you hurt I hurt,” he whispered, breath hitting Taemin’s nose, “so don’t get hurt, okay?”

  
  


Taemin looked up to meet Jongin’s eyes, mere centimetres from his own. “Okay.” He whispered back, voice weak.

  
  


They stayed like this, eyes locked onto each other’s, Taemin’s hands on Jongin’s back and Jongin’s carefully holding Taemin’s cheeks. Jongin’s eyes flickered down to Taemin’s lips, then back up with record speed.

  
  


But, Taemin  _ did  _ see, and answered by slowly moving closer, closing eyes. Jongin barely had time to react before Taemin met his lips with his own, making a small sound of surprise. He felt Taemin pull away, ready to start an apology with a gasp. So, he closed the gap again quickly, gripping the sides of Taemin’s face gently.

  
  


Taemin gasped into the kiss, moving his arms upwards to drape them over Jongin’s shoulders. Jongin turned his neck for a better angle, one of his hands sliding gently down to Taemin’s hip.

  
  


They moved together as if they’ve been this for a long time, as if they were always meant to. Any time they had to break to catch a breath, they dived back in less than a second later. Taemin shuffled back to draw Jongin closer into his space by his legs, Jongin holding the back of his head to shield him from banging his head.

  
  


The world around Taemin didn’t matter anymore, his face was no longer sore, his legs no longer ached. All that mattered was Jongin’s mouth against his, and the sounds he was making, small intakes of breath and sighs. 

  
  


They broke apart panting, Jongin leaning against Taemin’s forehead, bodies still intertwined. They met eyes in between Jongin’s messy hair, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

  
  


“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Jongin breathed out, too caught in the moment to think about what he was saying.

  
  


“...Me too.” Taemin whispered, meeting Jongin in the eyes once again.

  
  


They giggled again, noses touching, uncaring about the consequences, and met in the middle once again.

**Author's Note:**

> hi, thank you so much for reading! i’m still new to exo and shinee, but [lu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsgopicnic/pseuds/letsgopicnic) convinced me to write a taekai fic! i hope you enjoyed! please let me know what you think, nothing motivates me more than feedback. <3  
> [my twitter!](https://twitter.com/longflight42)


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